Drift Volume 11: Los Angeles

Drift Volume 11 washes up on the sunny coast of Southern California, home to one of America's most vibrant cities. From the beach volleyball courts of Santa Monica to the ever-changing neighborhoods of its urban core, the sprawling metropolis of Los Angeles is home to a wide range of communities, each with its own distinct coffee culture.

Whether it's specialty Colombian coffee at Andrés Piñeros's shop in the surfurbia of Redondo Beach or Jonathan Yang's Cantonese-inspired drinks at Thank You Coffee in Chinatown, L.A. has something for everyone. Beneath the glossy patina of celebrity glamor is an incredibly diverse coffee culture steeped in history—from coffee pioneers like Menotti's in Venice Beach to emerging Black-owned shops like Bloom & Plume Coffee in Filipinotown to Saugus Cafe, founded in 1888. This issue explores puppuccinos for four-legged friends, macadamia milk for dairy alternatives, old and new Hollywood, old and new Chinatown, the South Bay's unique coffee culture for Olympic athletes and recreationalists, and a budding coffee farm high in the Santa Barbara hills hoping to bring coffee closer to Southern California.